The present invention relates generally to hinges for vehicles and, more particularly, to a decklid hinge for a vehicle.
It is known to provide a decklid for a vehicle to open and close a rear compartment or trunk of a vehicle body of the vehicle. Typically, the deck lid is attached to the vehicle body with at least one, preferably a pair of laterally spaced hinges. Currently, the decklid hinges of the free-rise type use a large size goose-neck hinge for counter-balancing a weight of the decklid. However, these goose-neck hinges reduce trunk volume of the rear compartment by 1 to 1.5 cu. ft. This is undesired because trunk volume is a key attribute that purchasers compare when making a vehicle selection.
One attempt to maintain trunk volume and counterbalance the weight of the decklid is to use either pneumatic or hydraulic devices. However, the cost of such devices is prohibitive and results in adding complexity to a vehicle assembly process.
Because the overall length of vehicles is being reduced in some cases, the trunk volume is relatively small. The type of hinge that can be used in such a situation is a four-bar hinge, but this type of hinge does not allow free-rise capability.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a decklid hinge for a decklid of a vehicle that provides a four-bar hinge with free-rise capability for the decklid. It is also desirable to provide a decklid hinge for a decklid of a vehicle that includes a counterbalance mechanism to counter a weight of the decklid. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a decklid hinge for a vehicle that meets these desires.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a new decklid hinge for a vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a decklid hinge for a vehicle that includes a free-rise feature on a four-bar hinge.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a decklid hinge for a decklid of a vehicle that includes a counterbalance mechanism to counter a weight of the decklid.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention is a decklid hinge for a decklid on a rear compartment of a vehicle including a body side strap adapted to be connected to a vehicle body of the vehicle. The decklid hinge also includes a decklid side strap adapted to be connected to a decklid for closing a recess of the rear compartment. The decklid hinge includes a first link interconnecting the body side strap and the decklid strap for allowing rotation therebetween. The decklid hinge further includes a second link interconnecting the body side strap and the decklid strap for guiding pivoting action of the hinge along a predefined path. The decklid hinge includes a primary spring interconnecting the body side strap and the decklid strap to counterbalance a weight of the decklid when opening. The decklid hinge further includes a free-rise mechanism to allow the decklid to free-rise from a partial open position to a full open position.
One advantage of the present invention is that a new decklid hinge is provided for a decklid of a vehicle. Another advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge incorporates a free-rise feature and counterbalance on a four bar hinge to allow maximum utilization of trunk volume without adding significant cost or complexity to the vehicle. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge is a mechanical type that is easy to maintain and offers better reliability than a pneumatic or hydraulic system. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge incorporates a free-rise feature on a four bar hinge to combine the compact package size of a four bar hinge with the convenience of a free-rise decklid. A further advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge incorporates a free-rise feature on a four bar hinge that allows added user convenience because it will allow the user to open the decklid at forty-five degrees (45xc2x0) to shield cargo from rain when it is raining and also allow the user to open the decklid to the full open position hands-free to enable easy cargo loading and unloading.